Reflections on Patriotism
So I am sitting in the office where I work listening to music and waiting for something to do and I thought instead of doing something overly productive in this down time I would blog. Blog about what you may ask? Patriotism. Gasp, but your a liberal what can you possibly have to say about patriotism. The same thing that every American who wants the best for the nation of America.
First and foremost I would like to point out a difference that not many see between the nation of America and the government of America. That being the government of America are those who run this country, the bureaucrat and the politician. I am unconcerned with the well being of the bureaucrat as it is more efficient for him to remain employed than unemployed. If bureaucrats are good at one thing it is efficiency. As far as the politician goes if he is at all worth his salt he can find popularity and some employ outside of the government system. Now the nation of America are the people in it and the culture of. These are the people who should be the focus and concern of a true patriot.
These were the people that the founding fathers were immensely concerned about when they took arms against their government. I want to say that it is not my intention to convey that we should act as they did in violence. I believe this country and its people are more civilized than that. I do think that we have the right and obligation to act as they did initially. When an unfair tax was placed on tea Americans first protested and petitioned for it to be lifted. This is how a patriot should act. Ah the point becomes more clear. I am saying that dissent is a true act of patriotism. As long as that dissent is in the common interest of the American people, the American nation. That is why it makes me laugh when fake patriots like Bill O'Reilly come on and shouts their "patriotism" and decries those true patriots. For the sake of this country we must say why we think a war against a country that never attacked us is wrong. For the sake of this country we must say why we think national health care is important. For the sake of this country we must say why we demand a humble foreign policy. We must do this not for an American government, but an American nation.
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I'd like to add that there
I'd like to add that there is a difference between patriotism and nationalism. There are many nationalists in America who like to think of themselves as patriots, when in fact they are far from it.
The Enlightenment wounded the beast, but the killing blow has yet to land...
Secularism in America
Yeah...to expand on what you said about Bill O'Reilly and stuff, I'm afraid that America is headed down the dangerous path that many countries in the Islamic world have taken--the path to theocracy. Bill O'Reilly and those like him love to say that America was founded on "Judeo-Christian principles". They do this to gain political legitimacy by appealing to (what they consider to be) tradition. This is little more than a lie, propagated by the Christian Right, in their quest for "Dominionism", where all homosexuals, incorrigible children, "sorcerers", and those who oppose church and state will be executed. I don't see anything about killing people who work on the Sabbath in the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, or the Constitution. On the contrary, the Founding Fathers advocated freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Unfortunately, I think that most people don't realize that freedom of religion entails freedom from religion. If you haven't seen David Mills speech entitled "Ten Reasons why America is Approaching the Golden Age of Atheism", I suggest you watch it. At the present, however, it seems that those ten reasons are basically wishful thinking. It's time for rational Americans to stand up for what's right and save our country.